Houthis want to copy Iran’s Hormuz control in the Red Sea: Yemeni FM

Speaking in Riyadh, Yemen’s internationally recognised government warns that global complacency has emboldened the Houthis.Published On 28 Jul 202628 Jul 2026Yemen’s Houthi movement is aiming to replicate Iran’s ⁠strategy in the Strait of Hormuz by controlling shipping flows in the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Yemeni government’s top diplomat warns.“The Houthis want to copy the Iranian model , and this will shut down two main straits, the gateways into the ⁠Gulf and Red Sea,” the foreign minister-designate for the internationally recognised Yemeni government, Afrah al-Zouba, told journalists on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Houthis claim Saudi drone downed over northwestern Yemenlist 2 of 3Saudi Arabia defends against drone strikes from ‘Iran-backed’ groupslist 3 of 3Why a new war in Yemen could be different for the Houthisend of listSpeaking at the Yemeni embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, al-Zouba said the Iran-backed Houthis have been emboldened due to the insufficient international response to their activities in the region.Bab al-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean, and – much like the Strait of Hormuz –...